Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has issued a "profound apology" to the nation for her three-year friendship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following an avalanche of scrutiny over their connection. The Crown Princess, who is married to Haakon, Prince of Norway and second in line to the throne, expressed regret for her judgment in a statement released by the palace on Friday.
In the email exchanges made public by the US Justice Department earlier this week, Mette-Marit and Epstein appeared to be cordial friends. The messages dated from 2011-14 showed that she had visited Epstein's Palm Beach house in Florida while he was out of town, revealing a level of closeness that has shocked many Norwegians.
"Googled u after last email," the Crown Princess wrote in October 2011. "Agree didn't look too good." She said her friendship with Epstein was a result of poor judgment on her part and expressed regret for any embarrassment it may have caused to the royal family, particularly her husband.
Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit's four-year-old son from an earlier relationship, is currently on trial in Oslo district court for 38 charges including four counts of rape. He faces a possible jail term of at least 10 years if found guilty.
In response to the Crown Princess' apology, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said she had "poor judgment" over her friendship with Epstein. The King and Queen, both 88, have chosen not to comment on the matter.
The Crown Princess has been dealing with health issues, including pulmonary fibrosis, for which doctors are preparing a lung transplant. Her son is currently struggling emotionally after his testimony in court, where he was visibly upset as he described being "hassled" by the press since he was three years old.
In the email exchanges made public by the US Justice Department earlier this week, Mette-Marit and Epstein appeared to be cordial friends. The messages dated from 2011-14 showed that she had visited Epstein's Palm Beach house in Florida while he was out of town, revealing a level of closeness that has shocked many Norwegians.
"Googled u after last email," the Crown Princess wrote in October 2011. "Agree didn't look too good." She said her friendship with Epstein was a result of poor judgment on her part and expressed regret for any embarrassment it may have caused to the royal family, particularly her husband.
Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit's four-year-old son from an earlier relationship, is currently on trial in Oslo district court for 38 charges including four counts of rape. He faces a possible jail term of at least 10 years if found guilty.
In response to the Crown Princess' apology, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said she had "poor judgment" over her friendship with Epstein. The King and Queen, both 88, have chosen not to comment on the matter.
The Crown Princess has been dealing with health issues, including pulmonary fibrosis, for which doctors are preparing a lung transplant. Her son is currently struggling emotionally after his testimony in court, where he was visibly upset as he described being "hassled" by the press since he was three years old.
her apology is a huge step forward, and I hope she can use this as an opportunity to learn from her experiences and grow even more as a person 
I'm shocked that it took this long for Mette-Marit to speak out about her friendship with Epstein. Like, what's wrong with having a friend who's in trouble? It's not like she enabled him or anything... 
But at the same time, I get why people are upset - 38 charges of rape and assault? That's a whole lot of serious stuff... 
... but also kinda hopeful 
? I mean, Mette-Marit's apology shows she's taking responsibility for her actions and acknowledging the harm caused, which is a big step. It's not easy to admit when we've made mistakes and let people down. And let's be real, her son Marius needs all the support he can get right now 
... having to deal with health issues, court drama, and media scrutiny as a kid? That's a tough load to carry.
I think Mette-Marit's apology is way overblown. Like, come on, it's just a friendship with some dude who got caught out for doing some pretty shady stuff. It's not like she enabled or funded his illicit activities or anything. And let's be real, most people have friends from their college days that are super weird and annoying, but they don't suddenly become bad news 20 years later. 
Mette-Marit's apology is so admirable, she's owning up to her mistakes and taking responsibility for them 
and she even said her friendship w/ him was due to poor judgment 
not sure how that's possible, but i guess we can't judge ppl based on past mistakes 
apparently, it dropped from 80% trust in 2020 to 40% in 2022 
pretty crazy! 
also, did u know that pulmonary fibrosis is a growing issue worldwide? 
pulmonary fibrosis affects ~10 million ppl globally & cost the US healthcare system ~$1.5 billion annually 
I'm not even sure what to think about this. I've been reading about Epstein's case for years and it's just so messed up. I feel bad for Mette-Marit and her family, especially Marius, who's going through all this trauma. 
It's like, we should be supporting our own, you know? Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that I wish she had spoken out sooner, but at least she's taking responsibility now 
and hes only 9 yrs old 
u gotta feel 4 him... anyw wayz Mette-Marit shouldnt be judged too harshly shes goin thru alot w/ her health issues n all 
. I'm just hoping that this whole thing doesn't overshadow what's really important - Mette-Marit and her son getting the help they need right now 
Crown Princess of Norway getting an invite to Epstein's sex offender party 
. But for real though, Mette-Marit's apology is a good start, but can't hurt to get some help from those royal therapists 
still, gotta give credit to Mette-Marit for takin responsibility for her actions 
now let's keep an eye on Marius' trial and hope he gets the help he needs 
It's clear that Crown Princess Mette-Marit's actions have had a significant impact on her personal and professional life. The fact that she's taking responsibility for her friendship with Epstein is a positive step forward, but it's also a reminder that our choices can come back to haunt us in unexpected ways. 